Echo-distance meter.



PATENTED AUG. 8, m5.

J. SUTHERLANDQ ECHO DISTANCE METER. APPLIUATION 11121) 110mm, 1m.

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- N0. 796,540. PATBNTBD AUG. 8, 1905.

.LSUTHERLAND.

ECHO DISTANCE METER.

APPLIOATIDN rmm 1101.10, m4.

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J. SUTHERLAND. EGHDDISTNCE METER.

APYLICATIBH IIi-BD $0110, 1904.

aaunnTs-snnn'r UNITED SlAlES- PATENT OFFICE JOHN SU'IHERLAIH), OF SEATI'ILE. WASHINGTON. ASSIGNOR TO SUTHER- LAND S'lEA MSl-lll EOHOMETER COMPANY, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, A CORPORATION OF WASHINGTON.

ECHO-DISTANCE METER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1900.

Application filed November 10, 1904- Sci-10.11%. 382.204.

2'0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1. JOHN SUTHERLAND, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city of Seattle, in the county of King and State of Washington. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Echo-Distance Meters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in timeindicating mechanisms, whereby they may be employed to directly indicate the distance to any sound-reflecting or echo-producing surface. l have therefore called my invention an echo-distance meter, as the time ofits operation depends upon the production of a sound and the receipt of an echo thereof, the time elapsing between the two being, as is well known, determined by the distance to the sound-reflecting or echoproducing surface. Y

The object of my invention is the production of a device of this character which will indicate distances directly without necessity for'any calculations.

My object is. further. to generally simplify and improve such devices.

' The scope of my invention will be' particu larly pointed out in the claims.

in the drawings I have shown my invention embodied in the form which is now preferred by me.

Figure 1 is a. face view of my device, parts of the frame and casing being broken away to clearly show the operating mechanism. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on a plane at right angles to that of Fig. 1, the parts being in the starting or zero position, or the same as Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a face view of the principal operating parts in operating position. Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the parts in resetting position. Fig. 5 shows a means by which the starting of the indicating parts may be initiated by the some means as is employed to initiate the production of the sound. Fig. 6 is a face view of the dial or scale and the pointer or indicator. Fig. 7 shows diagrammatically the means by which the sound-producing mechanism and my echo-distance meter may be connected to be operated by the same act.

It has long been the custom of navigators to judge of their position when navigating along the coast or upon-inside waters in a fog or at night when visual indications were not available by frequently sounding their whistle andlistening for an echo from thecoast.

The greater the distance to the coast or any objcct which would produce an echo the greater the time which would elapse before the-echo would be heard. By this expedient it has been possible for a person of sufiicient experience to judge approximately of the distance from the echoing surface. The accuracy of this estimate has always been uncertain and it required great experience to estimate the distance with any approximation to truth. By the use of my invention it is possible for any one to tell the distance to the echo-producing surface with great accuracy andwithout any calculation.

The operation of my invention depends upon the well-known fact that if the time consumed in the travel of sound between two points be known the distancebetween these points may be determined.

The principal feature of my invention consists in thecombination of a timing'mechanism, preferably a stop-timing mechanism.with a scale so proportioned to the timing mechanism that the distancecorresponding to the time consnmed'in the travel of the sound one way may be read directly without any calculation.

The mechanism illustrated and which I will now describe is not the only mechanism which may be employed to carry out my invention, but it is the mechanism which is now preferred by me.

The indicator is a pointer or hand 1. mounted upon a shaft 3, and the scale is laid outon a dial-plate 2. This pointer-shaft 3 also carries a pinion 4 and a heart-cam 6. The timing. mechanism may be of any suitable type. That shown is actuated by springs 7 through gears and pinions 8. 9, 10, 11, 20. 13. and 12. The shaft of wheel 12 carries gear 19, which meshes with pinion 18, secured to an escapement-wheel 14, which is controlled in'its actien by an escapcment 15, balancewheei 16, and spring 17. Wheel 12 meshes with a pinion 5, which is movable to engage with and be disengaged from the pinion 4., carried b the shaft 301? the pointer 1.

Pinion 5 iscarried by an arm 21, pivoted at 25, the pinion-shaft being held against the side of the arm by spring 22 and theplmon in yielding engagement with the wheel 12 by spring 23. This permits the shifting of the pinion along the arm 21, which is necessitated by its shifting into and out of engagement with the pinion 4 on the pointer-shaft. It is evident that the shaft of pinion 5 may be mounted in a slot in arm 21. The arm 21 is held toward pinion 4 by spring 24.

Shaft 3 carries a heart-cam 6. An arm 26, ,pivotcd at 29, has a tooth 27. adapted when pressed against the heart-cam to turn the cam and pointer back to the zero or initial position from any other position it may occupy. Spring 28 furnishes the actuating force for this work.

The position and action of levers 21 and 26 are controlled by a cam wheel 30. This wheel is inthe form of a disk with notches or teeth at intervals. A ratchet-wheel 31 is socured to wheel 30 and is engaged by pawl 32. carried by arm 33. pivoted at 37. Wheel 31 has three teeth to one tooth of wheel 30. Arms 21 and 26 have each a single tooth 35 and 36, respectively adapted to engagewith the surface of wheel 30 and drop into its teeth. These teeth are so that in the normal or zero position, or that shown in Fig. 1. the tooth 36 on arm 26 lies in a tooth of wheel 30, the tooth 27 engaging the heart-cam to hold the pointer set in zero position and tooth 35 of arm 21 is out-of the tooth in wheel 30, thus holding the pinion 5 of the timing mechanism out of engagement with the pinion 4 on the pointershaft. In the next position, or that of Fig. 3, tooth 35 drops into a tooth of wheel 30, thus moving the pinion 5 into engagement with pinion t and starting the movement of the pointer. At the same time tooth 36 is lifted out of the tooth in wheel 30, thus re easing the pointer-shaft to permit its turning. In the next position tooth 35 has been lifted out of the tooth in the wheel 30, thus separating pinions 4 and 5 and stopping the forward motion of pointer 1. A slight friction device, suchas a spring 38, bearing upon the pointer-shaft or other member connected therewith, serves to hold the pointer in posi- -tion where it is released. The next position is that first described. These successive positions are shown, respectively. in Figs. 1, 3, and 4. -These positions are secured by single tooth advances of the toothed wheel 31. caused by depressions of the pawl -arm 33. This may be secured by various means. One means consists of a reciprocating plunger 39, which slides in a guide at one edge of the casing, and a guide-bracket 41 within the casing. This plunger is normally projected by a spring, as the flatspring ifl. Outside the casing it is provided with a head 42, which is convenient for engagement by the hand for reciprocation of the plunger. Within the casing this plunger has a side projecting pin 43, which moves in the plane of the pawl lever or arm 33, so that when the plunger 39 is reciprocated the pin 43 swings the arm 33 downward, and with it the pawl 32. thus actuating the ratchet-wheel 31, to thereby shift the position of the arms 21 and 26 and the parts controlled thereby. To complete the cycle of the parts, three reciprocations of the plunger 39 are required.

In addition to the plunger for operating the device I have provided a mechanism by which the starting of the pointer may be secured by the same act as that which produces the sound. How this may be done I have shown in Figs. 5 and 7. Fig. 7 shows the connections diagrammatically. A represents the echo-distance meter, and 45 the whistle. in this case chosen as the source of the sound which is to produce the echo. A cord 46 is provided with a handle-44, conveniently located to the hand of the operator. The cord 46 extends through suitable guides to the whistle-lever and is connected with a second cord or branch cord 47, which leads to the echo-meter through suitable guides. as 48 and 49. The cord or chain 47 leads within the casing of the device and through a guide, as 50, and then about the periphery of a pivoted wheel or reel-like device consisting of the arms 52 and 53 and the pins 51. The inner end of this cord is secured to the wheel. as by fastening it to one of the pins 51. When the cord is pulled, the wheel will be revolved, and the pin 55, which projects from the under side of the wheel in the position shown in Fig. 5. will be caused to engage the swinging arm 56. Arm 56 carries a pin 57. which engages the end of the arm 58 which is fixedly secured to the shaft 59, which carries an arm 60 upon its other end. Arm 60 is so placed as to engage the pawl lever or arm 33. so that when the arm 60 is thrown down it forces down the pawl-lever and its pawl and moves the ratchetwheel 31 one tooth-space. This secures a synchronous operation of the whistle and the echo-distance meter. The stopping of the pointer must. however, be done by hand. The return of the wheel 52 to its normal position may be secured by the use of a spring.54,se cured to its shaft. Upon the return of the wheel the pin 57 strikes the end of the arm 56 and swings it back. This arm is loosely pivoted upon the shaft 59 and can swing back freely without alfecting the shaft or the arm 58. The pin will therefore pass under and past the arm 56 without moving the shaft 59. There are of course many other waysby which the same result may be obtained. In Fig. 1 are shown the two shafts 61 upon which the two springs 7, which actuate the mechanism of my device. are mounted. These are provided with square ends, as is common in all forms of clock-gears. so that they may be readily engaged by a key to wind them up. They are also provided with ratchet-wheels 62 and pawls 63.

In Fig. 6 I have shown a form of dial which I prefer to use with my device. This dial has four scales upon its face. the outer one indieating the seconds of elapsed time since the device was started; the next, the statute miles to the surface from which the sound was rellected; thenext, the same distance in nautical miles, and the inner the distance in meters. in laying out these scales the distance must be half that corresponding to the. time elapsed,

as the sound travels outward and back, and the actual distance traversed by the sound is twicethat to the sound-reflecting surface.

By use of my device it is possible for the navigator to tell with great accuracy the distance to any echo-producing surface at once and without making any calculations.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States of America, is

1. An echo-distance meter, comprising a timing mechanism, a starting and a stepping mechanism, and a scale adapted to translate the indications of the tuning mechanism directly into terms of distance to the sound-zeflecting surface.

2. Au echo distance meter, comprising a timing mechanism, a starting and a stepping mechanism, a resetting mechanism, and ascale adapted to translate the indications of the timing mechanism directly into terms of distance to the sound-reflecting surface.

3. An echo-distance meter, comprising an indicator, means for operating said indicator at a regular time rate, means for starting and stopping said indicator at wili and a scale adapted to translate the movement of said in! dicator into terms of distance to the soundrcflecting surface.

4. An echo-distance meter comprising an indicator, means for operating said ind lesionat a. regular time rate, means for starting and stopping said indicator at will, means for resetting said indicator at zero, and a scale adapted to translate the movement of said indicator into terms of distance to the sound-reflecting surface.

5. An echo-distance meter, comprising a timing mechanism, means for producing a sound, means for starting the timing mechanism, a common actuating means for both said mechanisms, at stopping mechanism, and a scale adapted to translate the indications of the timing mechanism directly into terms of distance to the sound-reflecting surface.

6. An echo-distance meter comprising a stop-timing mechanism, and a scale adapted to translate the indications oi" said mechanism directly into terms of distance to the soundrefiecting surface.

7. An echo-distance meter-comprising an indicator, a scale adapted to translate the indications directly into terms of distance to the sound-reflecting surface, and means for producing relative movement of said indicator and scale at a uniform rate and for the desired time.

8. An echo-distance meter comprising an indicator, a scale adapted to translate the indications directly into terms of distance to the sound-reflecting surface, and means for producing relative movementof said indicator and scaleat a uniform rate and for the desired time, and means for setting said indicator and scale at zero.

9. An echo-distance meter comprising a stop-timing mechanism, a rotative member, means whereby the movement of said rotative member. may be made to start the stoptiming mechanism, and means for connecting said rotative member with an operating meniher for a signaling device.

"10. An echo-distance meter comprising a stop-timing mechanism, a signal producing mechanism, and a common starting member -for both said mechanisms.

- 11. An echo-distance meter comprising a stop-timing mechanism, a rotativo member adapted to start-said stop-timing mechanism, asignal-producing mechanism, and acord connected with said rotative member and thesig- I mil-producing mechanism to start both mechanisms simultaneously.

12. An echo-distancev meter comprising a stop-timing mechanism, a whistle, and a oom men member for starting both of said devices.

13. An echo-distance mot-er comprising a stolrtiming mechanism, a whistle, and a coma men member for starting both of said devices and means for independently stopping the stop-timing mechanism.

Signed at Seattle, Washington, day oi October, 1904.

JOHN SUTHERLAND.

this 28th Witnesses:

Eannsrr B. Hanna), WAL'rnn O. MoKAY. 

